Run
by Fhyre.N.Ice
Summary: Dean has something to tell his family; he has to come out to them. John is angry at first, but accepts it. But Sam is angry and hurts Dean's feelings. Dean-19 Sam-15. New Chapter!
1. Prologue

Okay, so, Tia of 2people had an idea for a story, as explained in the summary, and well, I offered to put it into words... i guess that's it...

anyways, happy reading! :DDD

Prologue

_ Note to self; Never piss off a wendigo, _I thought as said creature tossed me across the wooded clearing. My body hit the ground with a 'thump', but instead of groaning at the pain, I embraced it as I was taught to. This son-of-a-bitch was going down.

My dad had always taught me and my little brother not to be afraid of the dark. He made us believe that the dark should be afraid of us. But of course, this is John Winchester we're talking about: headstrong, don't take no for an answer, marine. Any normal person would take one look at his type of "family business and run in terror. Needless to say, we weren't normal, not in the least bit.

The wendigo came charging at incredible speeds, snarling and growling and baring its ugly, rotted teeth. In one split second it was upon me. Time seemed to slow and my senses became clearer, clear enough to smell the carnage on the creature's rancid breath. In contrast to the slowed moment, I had no time to react or brace myself as a wall of flames suddenly separated me from the once civil beast. In seconds, the fire disappeared as quickly as it had come, revealing not only the now-crispy wendigo, but also my dad holding a gas canister and lighter. Behind him, my brother Sammy stood tall and lanky, a loaded sawed off in his hands.

"Good job Dean," my dad subtly commented on my act as human bait before walking over to the charred corpse. "Just next time, wait til' we're ready."

I was about to argue that the thing had seen me before I had noticed it was there, but realization that a quarrel would be pointless hit me.

With a short dismissal, Dad sent us back to our car – a 1967 Chevrolet Impala – while he finished burning whatever remains were left of the wendigo. Obediently, we left without protest.

As the Chevy came into view, Sam offered his sawed off to me. I took it and the 1911 nickel-plated colt I had stashed in the waistband of my jeans to the back and popped open the trunk. After putting away the weapons, I followed Sammy into the car, taking my spot in the front passenger seat.

A while back, Dad had made a deal with me that if I could research, find, and finish five hunts on my own without dying, that baby was mine. So far, I had finished three of them, and I wasn't about to give up anytime soon.

"Dean," Sam's voice interrupted my thoughts. "I'm tired." Poor kid was growing too fast. His metabolism wasn't seeming to keep up with his height.

"Go to sleep Sammy. Dad'll be back soon," I answered. "Don't worry."

The words reassured Sam, but not me. In fact, I almost didn't want my dad to come back so soon. Because when we got back to the motel, I was going to bring something up with him, something I really didn't want to. But it was necessary. Both he and Sammy had to know.


	2. As If You Have No Choice

okay, so, here's the official chapter 1 of this fic. :D im excited. are you excited? im excited.

happy reading!

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><p>Ch 1<p>

The drive back to the motel was silent, save for the background serenade of Fooling Yourself by Styx song over a local radio station. Outside, evergreen trees seemed to whiz by with the Chevy's velocity. The nagging of a speeding ticket flooded the back of my mind, making me hope there weren't any cops in waiting. But when had I ever worried about something like that?

I was going soft. That would be a dead giveaway.

Just like that, the aching memory of what I had to spill to Sam and Dad came rushing back. I had the urge to groan, but restrained myself, knowing that if the sound of protest broke the silence, questions would arise. It wasn't the right time, not yet.

The second the Impala pulled into the motel's lot and parked, Sam woke from his light slumber and unbuckled. Dad followed suit and both left the car.

"You comin' Dean?" Dad asked, opening the door to the room as I got out of the Impala.

"In a sec."

With that, Dad and Sam entered the room, leaving me behind in the parking lot to clear my head. Fifteen minutes passed before I built up the courage to go into the room.

The first thing I saw as I opened the door was Sam, asleep and curled around a pillow, sneakers still on his feet. Dad sat at the little round table, a newspaper for Astoria, Oregon covering his face. Other newspapers and article clippings sat splayed around the table. I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to the punch.

"You've been quiet," he set down the newsprint. "You alright?"

I hesitated. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately"

Even though I wasn't looking in his direction, I could feel my dad's gaze boring into me. I don't think I had ever felt more uncomfortable in my life.

"Like what?"

I couldn't answer.

"You know, Dean, I may be old, but I was your age once. If there's something you want to talk about , I'm here."

My dad's voice was surprisingly kind for once. Often, it was a little harsh, demanding even, full of questions. But right then, it seemed as if he was really caring about what was wrong.

I turned to sit at the table across from him. "I've been thinking lately..."

Dad nodded, motioning for me to continue.

I gulped, feeling as a cold sweat threatened to fall from my forehead. "About some... private matters."

"Pertaining to..." Dad began.

_Here goes nothing, _I thought.

"My, er... my sexuality."

The room was completely silent.

"Your what?" he asked.

"M-my sexuality, s-sir."

I could feel my body begin to seize up, the clammy chill come over my skin and beads of sweat creep across my hairline. I looked into my dad's eyes, thinking to see anger, disbelief, and most of all the thought of "disowning". The only thing I could see though was confusion.

"You mean... you're gay? That you're coming out of the closet?" Dad finally whispered.

All I managed was a subtle nod.

"Go to bed Dean. We'll talk more in the morning."

"Dad, I'm so-,"

"I said, Go. To. Bed."

I don't know how I got there, but somehow,, I ended up next to Sammy, shoes off and coat crumpled on the floor. A single tear escaped my eye at the thought of what was going through my Dad's head at the moment.

_We'll talk more in the morning._


	3. We're Bound To Be Afraid

Yes, I know, it's the shortest chapter I've ever written, but I have news... good and bad.

Lets begin with the bad, shall we? I went to the doctor yesterday to discover I have a sinus infection... yeah, fun... That's why there was no chapter uploaded yesterday.

Good news - I believe I will have up to 2 more uploaded today- YAY! I have the rough drafts of 3, 4, 5, and 6 already written, but most of them are fairly short, longer than this though.

But anyways, Happy reading! :D

Ch. 2

I immediately regretted my harshness towards Dean. But our lives were already screwed up enough, and now this? We didn't need more crazy shit.

But maybe I was just afraid.

Ever since Mary had died, more things seemed to scare me. I always feared that I'd outlive my kids, something no father ever wanted to even dwindle on. But in our line of work, you never knew the endless possibilities. Even this...

On shaky legs, I stood and walked over to the room's mini fridge and pulled out a can of Bud Lite. It wasn't the best and I really shouldn't have been drinking, but it was the only way I was going to be able to wrap my head around everything.

An absent thought ran through my mind. What would Mary have done? My wife had been dead for almost 15 years, but her face was still clear. Dean looked so much like her, and I just couldn't bare the thought of getting rid of my last memory of Mary.

But still, how would this affect everything else?

_I hope I'm making the right decision..._


	4. I Know We'll Make It

Ok, so I'm not getting three up today, but here's the second one. YAY!

Since I was planning to upload this yesterday, I mentioned monday, just to try and keep up with the dates.

I'll try and get some more uploaded tomorrow since they're so short.

Happy reading! :D

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><p>Ch. 3<p>

A heavy hand resting on my shoulder and the gruff tone of my father's voice woke me up, followed by soft morning light filtering through the motel room's window.

"Come on, son. Wake up."

I groaned, but sat up anyways. "Where's Sam?"

"He's at school. It's Monday," Dad answered blankly.

I nodded and slipped off the bed, still in my clothes from the day before. I looked around, eyes searching for my bag, and discovered the duffel at the end of the bed, shoes and folded coat placed nicely on top. Realization hit me and I gulped.

"You're kicking me out," I stated, standing straight to look my father in the eye.

Dad sighed. "Dean-."

"I get it, you don't need to explain. I'm a disgrace."

"Dean-."

I reached over to grab my boots.

"Dean, just hold on one damn minute and listen to me!"

Dad's exclamation stopped me in my tracks.

"Dean, I'm not kicking you out."

_Is he lying?_

"Y-you're not?"

A sympathetic and sad smile crossed my dad's face as he walked over to sit down on the mattress and gestured for me to do the same.

"Dean," he started. "I could never do that. You're part of this family and without you... well, I think Sam and I'd end up killing each other."

Now it was my turn to smile.

"You live the life you want to, son. What you do is not my decision to make. I just want you to be happy."

He opened his arms for a hug which I gladly returned, holding on tightly as half of my internal battle was won; acceptance from my father.

"Thanks, Dad," I mumbled against his sleeved shoulder

We stayed like that for a moment before it became awkward.

"Come on. Let's go see how good that diner is down the road. My treat," Dad offered as we pulled away.

"Sounds great Dad."

Dad got up to go grab his own shoes while I reached around to grab my boots.

"So, uh, Dean?" Dad asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you just gay or bi?"

"DAD!"

"What? It was a reasonable question."


	5. And I Can Barely Look At You

Yay! Chapter 4! ... yeah thats pretty much it...

Happy Reading!

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><p>Ch. 4<p>

It was tough getting Dad to leave the little mom-and-pop diner, which just happened to be famous for their homemade hotcakes. Let's just say that if I hadn't been the an and said we were full, I think our stomachs would have exploded.

On the way back to the motel, Dad struck up a conversation.

"Are you gonna tell Sam about this?" he asked, reaching into his pocket for the room key.

I hesitated. "Yeah. If anyone's gotta know about this, he does."

"If you need help explaining..."

"I think I can do this myself."

"I'm just sayin'."

Dad opened the motel room door and we went inside, ready to search for a new hunt.

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><p>The second Sam got home he began throwing a fit, a sight that, these days, wasn't unusual.<p>

"We're leaving!" he exclaimed, noticing the bags Dad and I had packed. "Today?"

"Dad found a poltergeist hunt in Astoria," I replied and grabbed a few remaining items to take out to the Impala.

"I can't even finish school? There's two days left!"

"I'm sorry Sammy, but you know Dad."

"This is ridiculous," Sam grumbled, following me out to the car. "Where is he anyways?"

I slipped in the bags and slammed the trunk. "Out getting first-aid supplies."

Sam nodded and threw his school bag into the back seat, then followed me back into the motel room to wait for Dad.

"Listen, Sam," I started.

"Hmm?"

He looked at me as we sat down at the end of one of the mattresses.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah?"

_How am I going to say this?_

"Dean, spit it out."

And so, I told him.

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><p>John's P.O.V.<p>

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><p>I wish I hadn't walked up to the room at that moment, that I had stayed at the drugstore just a few minutes longer. But I couldn't take it back when I heard the voices from behind the door.<p>

"What? Are you serious?"

"...Yeah."

"Dean, what the hell! What is wrong with you?"

"Sam, I-."

"Don't talk to me."

"Sam, I understand you're confused-."

"Confused? I am not confused, Dean! You're sick! I can't believe you would do this!"

"Sam, where're you going?"

"Out. Don't try and stop me."

I barely managed to move out of the way before the door slammed open and Sam stalked out, not even noticing I was there. Slowly, I turned around to see Dean slouched at the end of an unmade bed, head in his hands.

"I take it you told him," I tried.

I heard a mumbled, "Yeah," and entered the room.

"Don't worry son. He's just a little confused right now."

I didn't receive a reply, but I knew that Dean wasn't believing a single thing I was saying.


	6. Away From Here

no... way... im still alive. this is a miracle!

shoot me if you must, for i have been lazy, not even turning on this contraption i call a buddy. but here it is, the longest chapter yet, but not the last.

happy reading! :D

oh, and, before you go, i'd like to dedicate this chapter to the amazing and simply hilarious Tia of 2people, for her writing is awesome, her last chapters of mated tail and wheels were just awesome... and overall - shes just awesome ;D

Ch. 5

I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get away to somewhere – somewhere away from there, from my brother. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to do something like that. My brother, Dean, player and ladies man, was gay. It was impossible.

I must have been going faster than I thought, because one moment I was looking at the afternoon sky, and the next I was face-to-face with the sidewalk. Lifting my head and bringing a hand to my now bleeding cheek, I looked down at my feet. One of the laces on my sneakers had come untied, causing my trip. A few chuckles drew my attention to across the street where a few of the "popular" kids from my school were staring in amusement.

Ignoring them, I continued on in the same direction, hoping that some refuge would come into view. Thankfully, it did, coming in the form of an old 50's style diner. Without thinking, I walked inside, sat at the counter, and ordered a Coke. In minutes, an older waitress whose name-tag read "Linda" came back with my drink and left to go take other orders.

I must have sat there for a good two hours, because by the time I finally woke from my contemplating daze, the neon clock on the wall read 5:35 and my drink was flat. Linda the waitress was looking my way and came over to sit down.

"What's on your mind, kid?" she asked.

I jumped slightly, but answered. "Just, uh, some family problems."

"Need some advice? Don't give me that look; I've been through a lot of crazy things. Anything you tell me, I'm not gonna run and call the nuthouse."

A chuckle escaped me as I thought about what to say. "What would you tell me if I said that one of my family members told me he...well..."

"Had cancer? Is now homosexual?" she asked.

"B."

"Well, hun. That I actually can help with. You feelin' confused, or just can't believe it?"

I sighed, bringing a hand through my hair. "I just can't believe it."

"Well then," Linda continued. "Let me tell you a story."

She must have seen me roll my eyes, for the next words were a little more harsh.

"Kid, I'm not your dad tellin' you about his old high school girlfriend, okay?" I nodded and waited for her to continue. "Anyways, back in the 12th grade, I had a buddy. His name was Alex and he was my best friend's boyfriend. Rumor was out that he had changed his sexual orientation. As it turns out, they were right, but nobody knew for sure but me. I was the only one he trusted."

"One afternoon after class – about a month after I found out – Alex came to me and asked if I could help him come out to his girlfriend and family. So I did... and let me tell you, kid, I have never witnessed so many people turning against another at once."

By that time I was holding my breath on every word, waiting for what happened next.

"His girlfriend broke up with him, parents disowned him, his friends made fun of him... and his brother...well, let's say that they never saw a hair of each other ever again."

"Are you making this up to teach me a lesson or somethin'?" I interjected.

"No."

I kept my mouth shut.

"They regret it though. You know where Alex is livin' now? He's one of the best damn attorney's in New York. If you ask me, they took it all wrong. He's happily married now, if you know what I mean."

Linda smiled and I returned it.

"What I'm tryin' to say is, don't let go of what you already have. Love what ya got and try to understand it."

I nodded and said my thanks, then quickly finished my flat soda and hurried out the diner, smile plastered on my face.

As soon as the cafe was out of sight, the grin faded, my walk broke into a slump. Eventually the motel came into sight, as did the Impala and my family standing by it, waiting for me.

I shared a glance with my father and went around to the passenger side of the car to open the door and climb in. My family did the same and Dad started the engine.

Dean peered back at me, a glint of hope and pleading in his eyes. I replied with no words, no gaze, but actions and turned away to look out my window. I heard the familiar suppressing sigh and inwardly groaned.

_Just forget it already...move on._

There was no way I could forgive Dean, and that was just something the both of us would have to live with.


	7. All I Want's to Find an Easy Way

Ch. 6

Was it that hard to understand? Well, maybe it was. I didn't know how he felt. And maybe... maybe he wasn't confused. Did he truly resent me for this?

When Sammy looked away, I turned back to face the setting sun as Dad started us off towards Astoria, Oregon. I pulled down the visor, shielding my eyes from the blinding light. Dad looked over at me, a worrying crease in his brow. I didn't say anything in return and ignored it.

Dad looked away and continued driving. However, Sammy resumed his silence, bringing unwanted thoughts to my mind.

* * *

><p>Dad drove through the night and stopped in Twin Falls, Idaho by dawn. While he filled up on gas, I left to the convenience store there to grab "breakfast" for us. Sam stayed in the car.<p>

By the time I made it back, Dad had finished filling the tank and was back in the driver's seat. I climbed in the passenger side and Dad took off back onto the highway.

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><p>We made it into Astoria around midnight, by which time Sammy was fast asleep. Dad was starting to fade, and he could tell that I knew.<p>

"Don't worry. As soon as we get to a motel, we can crash."

I nodded in agreement and looked out the window.

"Hey," Dad said, turning my gaze back. "You okay?"

I nodded my head again.

"I'm sorry son. I wish I could get him to understand."

"It's not your fault," I replied.

Dad pulled off the highway and onto a lighted street, spotting some trashy roach motel, half of the neon sign blacked out. He quickly parked and left the car to go check in.

I sighed, unbuckling and shifting in my seat while breathing in the old leather. A soft snore from the backseat broke the tranquil silence. I turned around and looked back at my little brother..

He seemed so innocent, so free of all the things the 15 year old had done in his hunting life. Every day I wished that it could all be taken back, back to the night Mom died. Maybe if our lives hadn't have gotten so fucked up, Sam would be more accepting.

I just hoped that maybe I could find a simpler way, an easier way to make all this better, easier to live.

If not, I would have to do something else, something more drastic that I wanted or hoped for.

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><p>okay, its short, sweet, but it proves a point :D<p>

hope ya liked it! :)


	8. And We'll Run For Our Lives

Okay... please please PLEASE don't kill me. I know it's an extremely late update and I should have updated before now, but here it is and there is more to come VERY soon :DDDD

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><p>Ch. 7<p>

"Okay, so," Dad began, walking through the door with a police file he had acquired using a fake badge. "We've got five disappearances off the coast of Cannon Beach: they were male, in their early to mid-twenties, and all during the past two weeks.

Dad dropped the file down on the table where I was sitting, then walked over to the bed he had claimed and started loosening his formal black tie. I picked up the file as Sam exited the bathroom and plopped himself down on the other bed, waiting to hear what Dad had to say.

"Okay," I replied, flipping through the pages. "Obviously it's a siren. Anything else you'd like to point out that we already know?"

I looked up at Dad to see his smirk. "Hey, cut the attitude, smart ass."

"So, we headin' in to kill this thing tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah – we'll finish up here tonight, then head back to Bobby's to 'recuperate' for about a week.'

"Sounds good," I answered. "So how're we goin' about this?"

Dad smirked again. "We're using bait."

"Oh-" I started, then realized where this was heading. " I hate you."

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><p>Midnight had already passed by the time Sam and I were out on a rented rowboat, further out than I personally cared for. At least we weren't on a plane. But then again, if we were, I wouldn't have been freezing my ass off through even my umpteen-billion layers of clothes.<p>

Sam still hadn't said a word to me – just angry glances and hateful stares. The tension was nearly killing me, and by my brother's white knuckled grip on the bronze dagger dipped in my blood told me I wasn't the only one feeling it.

Dad waited on shore where we would lead the siren to if we couldn't kill it ourselves. He had made sure I carried a spare sawed-off loaded with bullets also made of bronze. They wouldn't kill it, nor would they go far because of their weight, but they would definitely slow it down.

"Hey," I started, attempting to break the awkwardness. "You know, The Goonies was filmed here."

Sam looked up, acknowledging my presence – which I guess was a good sign – but he didn't reply.

"Kindergarten cop was too."

Again, no reply. I gave up trying and sat back, twisting the sawed-off in my grasp.

Suddenly, a splash to the right of the boat caught my attention. I shifted, in my spot, but saw nothing. The sound came again, this time from behind Sam.

He turned, gripping the dagger even tighter. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah," I replied with a reassuring nod.

And then the next thing I knew, I was choking on salty water as our boat was capsized, sending Sam and I into the Pacific Ocean. Pushing down, I managed to break the surface, coughing up the water from my lungs. Seconds after, Sam did the same on the other side of our upside down boat and we both swam over to it.

"You okay?" I asked hoarsely.

Sam answered with a subtle nod and a turn of his head as he spat out more liquid. That was when I heard Dad's voice from the shore, calling out for us. I raised my hand and waved, signaling where we were and that we were okay.

"C'mon. We better get back befo-," I started, but wasn't able to finish.

Before I even knew what was going on, something grasped my ankle and attempted pulling me under the surface once again. My finger nails dug into the wood of the boat, trying desperately to hold on. "Sam! Help!" I cried, watching as my brother slightly shifted away from the boat. "It's got my ankle!"

The look of disgust in his eyes caught my breath. To think that my brother was willing to let me die; Insane... but it was true.

The grip on my ankle was joined by another on my calf and I was dragged under, stunned by the hate I saw in Sam and oblivious to the fact that I was dying.

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><p>Okay, sooo, dont kill me... kill sam. or castrate him... or both. whatever you please<p>

reviews are like chocolate - or crack... addictive.


	9. Louder, Louder

Yeah, I know it's short, but hey, i promised another upload VERY soon... and this is very soon... i think.

just a little angst for y'all :D

Ch. 8

I never felt my body surface, nor it get dragged up the sandy beach, but I did feel the harsh pounding on my chest and water rushing up my esophagus. My eyes flashed open as I harshly turned to my side and coughed up the liquid that had been killing me.

"Dean, son," Dad started, holding me up to keep me from face planting in the sand. "You alright?"

I shook my head side to side. _Alright? _I thought. _My brother just left me to die!_

"C'mon, let's get you back to the motel."

Dad began to help me up, but I pushed him away. "No."

"No?"

"I'm not going back."

Dad tried to gently grab my arm. "Dean, I know that Sam couldn't get to you, but you can't take it out on him, okay? Let's just blame the siren and move on."

I glared. "You don't get it, do you?"

"What?"

"Is that what he told you? That he couldn't save me?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Dad, he left me to die out there. He just stood there while the siren dragged me down! I begged him for help and he didn't do a damn thing!"

"Dean, I'm sure this is a misunderstanding. Sam would never-."

But I had already begun backing away. He tried to grab me again, so I turned and ran. I heard Dad cry out for me, but I wasn't listening – couldn't listen. The pounding of my heart in my head was too loud to hear over.

I felt as If I was about to explode...


	10. The Only Thing That's Right

Short and sweet... well, maybe too short, but wording this was more complicated than I thought it would be. Delving into the mind of Dean Winchester is a dangerous task...

Reviews are chocolate! ;D

Ch. 9

_Dad-_

_I'm sorry for doing this, but I have to leave. I can't stay in a place I don't belong. Don't try to find me, because you won't._

_P.S. - Tell Sam that I forgive him._

_-Dean_

His duffel was gone, the bed was made up, and the only things that remained were the damaged hearts of a broken family.


	11. In All I've Done

Okay, don't know if you've noticed or not, but a few chapters of this story kind of went missing... what happened was i read over them, realized they sounded a little stupid, and decided to re type them. its all basically the same - similar plot, practically the same ending, but a few changes and more romance. hope you like.

p.s. - ill be uploading a few chapters at a time. these three and about four or five more later.

~Fhyre

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><p>Ch. 10<p>

Dad wouldn't miss the $500; Or at least, I didn't think he would. I just prayed that it would be enough for the bus tickets to New York. Cliché as it was, the big apple had opportunities, even if I didn't know where the hell I was going.

The bus left from Astoria at 1:00 am and arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming around 2:00 pm the next day. From there, I took a bus to Des Moines, Iowa that arrived at 10:15 that night. The next bus I caught got me to New York, and it took somewhere around 24 hours to get there.

I was the first one off the bus the second it stopped near the airport, eager to stretch my sore limbs and find a bathroom. As soon as both were accomplished, I started towards the main portion city, trying to avoid spending as much money as possible. Taxis were part of that. From there on out, walking was it for transportation.

First on my list was to find a motel, bed & breakfast, boarding house, or whatever roach house I had to stay in. And, not surprisingly, I found one right off the bat. I walked in, holding down the bile in my stomach at merely the stench of the receptionist's office. A woman who had seen better hair-days sat behind the desk half asleep and chewing a piece of gum loudly.

"You lookin' for something hun?" she asked, turning her attention to me.

I walked a little closer to the desk. "Uh, yeah, I can get a room; single king?"

She looked drowsily up at me. "How long?"

"One week."

The bill was higher than I thought it would be, but I paid the amount and took my room key. When I walked into the room, I was glad to find out that the smell was a lot easier to stomach. Dropping my duffel on the small available table, I flopped down on the bed, and immediately fell asleep, shoes and jacket still on.

The next morning I woke up around 10, stiff and crooked. I grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower. When I got out, my hair was still wet, but I didn't care. I quickly put my boots back on, then grabbed my jacket, wallet, and room key and left the room.

I had to find work, whether I liked it or not (hunting was out of the question – Dad could track me down more easily). New York was full of people looking to hire others, just like in the movies, right?

Wrong. Or, maybe I was just blind.

For hours, I walked along the streets, searching for help wanted signs in the windows of odd shops and stores. I even went into a few of the shops and asked managers if they had job openings. My question was turned down by every one of them. By 7:00 that evening, I had found nothing.

I bought a map of the city from a souvenir vendor and went back to the motel. Grabbing a pen and a few pins from my duffel, I stuck the map to the wall and started crossing off streets that I had already checked. I made marks next to the ones I would try the next day, then went off to bed to get some sleep.

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><p>I got up earlier, more around 8:00, and did the same routine as the morning before: shower, shoes, and shit-I-need. As I walked out the door, my stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten in a few days. <em>That can wait<em>, I thought, and headed towards the main streets once again.

It was noon before I came up lucky. I traveled inside a crowd of pedestrians, trying to look normal. If the crowd had kept going, I would have missed the place, but just my odd luck lately, the crowd turned into the entrance of a restaurant, it's sign reading _A Little Piece of Venice_. Like a sign from heaven, a help wanted sign was plastered in the front window, just catching my eye as I was forced in there.

Immediately, the tantalizing aroma of roasted garlic and fresh cut herbs hit my senses and I felt my stomach grumble again. The lunch rush had already hit the establishment fast, every varnished, oak table packed to the brim with customers that didn't even look like they knew each other, but chatted with friendly tones anyways. The buzz of conversation clouded my head fairly well, but nothing could have kept out the next thing I heard, which happened to be an argument I didn't understand. If I got this job, the next thing I would learn was how to speak Italian.

"Si hai fatto con la pasta?" an older voice asked, first drawing my attention.

A younger and definitely more boyish one answered. "No, non e finito."

"Sei troppo lento. Tua sorella puo farlo piu velocemente."

"Teresa puo essere piu, ma il suo e un gusto orribile."

The voices begtan to get louder, angrier, and taunting.

"Appena in fretta e finire ragazzo!"

"E` difficile lavorare con voi a gridare contro di me!"

"Beh, e difficile esguire questo luogo con un figlio arrogante come te."

The younger voice sighed. "Dio mio... veramente?"

"Veramente," the older one chuckled.

I was about to go over the counter to ring the bell when the owner of the younger voice became visible through one of the windows in the kitchen.

I could have sworn my jaw hit the floor.

He was tall, about 6' 5", all lean muscle and golden tanned skin. My gaze traveled up his body, from his legs to his chest and broad shoulders, and stopped at his face. Dark strands of chocolate brown hair, dangled in front of his forehead. And then, I caught sight of his eyes: deep, stormy greys.

_God, those eyes..._

I heard someone clear their throat, and break my trance. My gaze came back down to see an Italian man in his 50's – 60's? – slightly taller than me, and a full head of silvery hair.

"Oh, I was just – uh – watching the pasta.. being made.." I stuttered out, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly.

He smiled. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. I saw your sign outside – for a job?"

"Lookin' for work, huh?" he chuckled. "How old are you?"

"21," I answered, knowing that I looked old enough to pass for it.

"You've got the job."

I raised an eyebrow, but decided not to question his decision. He held out a hand and I shook it. "Giovanni Colucci."

"Dean Warren," I managed to think of a name in time for Giovanni to ask. "So, uh, what am I doing?"

"You're our new dishwasher."

He gestured towards the kitchen, so I followed him back. _I can do this,_ I thought, as we entered the kitchen and I nearly tripped head over heels into someone.

The woman, about the same age as Giovanni with curly black hair that swung down to her lower back, looked me up and down, balancing plates on her hands. "So, you finally found someone?" she asked, switching her gaze to the Italian man.

"Yes – I did," he stated, clearly proud and smug about it. "Dean, this is my wife and co-owner, Eliana."

She turned back to me. "Well, it's nice to have some new blood around here. I was worried my husband's buddies were beginning to take over."

"They're family and jobless, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Tell them to find a new house. Half of them live with us."

Giovanni gave her a "look".

She sighed. "Well, anyways, welcome to our restaurant, Dean."

I smiled and said my thanks, then followed Giovanni into the kitchen. Just during the time it took to get to the sink, I nearly had my head cut off five different times due to the activities of the waitresses with their plates and the casually dressed chefs with their... butcher knives. If I wasn't completely paying attention to my surroundings, I'm pretty sure I would have been bleeding to death on the floor by the time we made it to the sink.

"Well, here's your work station," Giovanni waved his hand in front of the preformed mountains of dishes.

"Oh...wow."

"Better get started. Here's an apron," the Italian chuckled at my expression. "Just to let you know, we close at 10. Most of the customers are gone by then though."

I took the piece of cloth from him, just as another person came by. I involuntarily flinched, prepared to duck more knives or pans. But instead of a kitchen tool, I was greeted by the other voice I had heard earlier.

"Hi. You must be Dean. Word travels fast."

My heart leaped into my throat and my lungs failed to breath as I came face to face with the God I had seen behind the counter earlier

"This is my son, Teo. If you've got any questions, he's the person to ask," Giovanni said. "Are you done with that pasta yet?"

"I've got Armando finishing up the last batch."

"About time. Our lunch crowd hasn't died down yet and we've still got people coming."

Teo turned to me. "Well, anyways. If you need any help finding where things go, just ask."

He left as quickly as he had come, which was disappointing. I turned back to where Giovanni had been standing, but saw that he too was gone.

"Great..."

* * *

><p>I thought the lunch rush was busy, but of course, my judgment was inaccurate and the dinner rush was enormous. The fact that the Colucci's didn't have a dishwasher and that every utensil and plate had to be washed by hand made it that much worse. And that wasn't the half of it. Not only did I have to clean the plates, bowls, etc. that the customers used, but I also had to scrub each pot and pan that the cooks used.<p>

At almost closing time, Giovanni remembered to come back by me and mention that I also had to wipe down the tables and sweep the floors before I left. I groaned in frustration as he left to go finish up a few things, but kept scrubbing the pan I was currently working on.

Little of the staff remained by the time I got to wiping down the tables. It was mostly a few of the cooks preparing things for the next day. I didn't acknowledge them at all, but I still got odd looks and glares. I even got a few comments, not directed at me, but about me.

I grimaced but continued to clean the tables. They were soon finished, so I moved on to the sweeping, managing to find a broom without too much trouble. _Back, forth, back, forth,_ the movements of the broom put me in a trance, so I didn't hear anyone walk into the room.

"You're still here?"

I turned around to see Teo standing at the junction between the dining room and the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah," I chuckled. "It's taking me longer than I thought."

Teo walked further into the room and grabbed the other broom from the nearby supply closet. "Let me help you."

I was about to protest, but decided to go against my usual mantra of "I'm fine" and instead thank him. Plus, I didn't mind having a little company to keep me from going completely awol.

It took us a while between small conversations, but we eventually finished cleaning up the mess the customers had made.

"Thanks again for the help," I told him as we put the cleaning supplies away.

"It's no problem," he replied with that killer smile. "Oh, and don't let the others get to you."

I nodded, untying my apron and grabbing my jacket. I hung the apron up and headed back out to the dining room towards the entrance. As soon as my hand hit the door handle, I remembered something and turned back to Teo who was grabbing his own coat.

"What time should I be here tomorrow?" I asked.

He thought for a moment. "Don't be any later than 10:30. My dad gets pissy with people who show up late."

I chuckled. "Thanks for the advice."

I turned and left out the door, listening to the jingle of the bell on my out. My mind and body were exhausted, but I was happy.


	12. Can't Raise Your Voice to Say

You may notice some changes in here... big ones... i'll prepare for the cyber tacos of death.

* * *

><p>Ch. 11<p>

"Night man," Armando called to me in his Cheech Marin like accent as he headed out the door.

"See ya," I replied, scrubbing at a white tablecloth stained with merlot.

I had been working at the restaurant for about three weeks and, besides the main branch of the Colucci's – Giovanni, Eliana, Teo, and his sister Teresa – Armando was the only one that treated me like a friend. Or a person for that matter. In fact, in the time that I had been here, we had become somewhat drinking buddies. Of course, Giovanni couldn't let us go party at bars without him. Damn, that man knew how to hold his liquor. We even got Teo to come with us a few times.

I watched as each chef and waitress left, not acknowledging me in the least bit. But hey, if I didn't bother them, they didn't bother me.

Soon, the place was empty, save for Teo and myself.

"Hey, Dean. Gotta question for ya," Teo came over and sat across from me, folding his hands on the table top.

I looked up. "Yeah?"

"Why do you live in a motel?"

I froze.

"Uhh..."

"If you're wondering how I knew that, I followed you back the other night."

"Oh, well, that's comforting," I replied with a glare. "I my own personal stalker."

"I was worried about you."

"Why? Because I'm new to the city and haven't found a place to stay yet?"

Teo gave me a look. "No."

"Well, then what is it?"

He sighed. "You're clothes are getting looser, which means you haven't been eating. You're staying in a shitty motel; it surprises me you haven't contracted some God-forsaken disease yet. And every time you walk somewhere, you always look behind your back like someone's following you."

I didn't know what to say.

"Now I wanna know – what's really going on?"

Teo's stare made me feel naked, and not in a good way. More like I had been stripped of my clothes and flesh and bones, leaving only my heart to be shown.

"Look, like I said, I'm new and I'm just trying to figure everything out."

"You know I don't believe that."

I sighed and returned to scrubbing the tablecloth, now convinced that it would have to be bleached. "Well, what else do you want me to say?"

"That you need help. Admit it!"

"I'm fine Teo," I set down the cloth and stood, retreating to the kitchen and untying my apron. The Italian, naturally, followed me. "You know, you've become like my shadow lately. I'm afraid the position's already taken."

"Will you cut the sarcasm already? Dean, you need help."

With a subtle ring, the bell on the front door announced an arrival of a newcomer, accompanied by a slight click-clack of... stilettos?

"Teo, babe, you still here?" came a cherry sweet voice whose owner rounded the corner a second later.

She had silky, cocoa brown hair that barely touched the bottom of her shoulder blades, laced with fiery tinted streaks. Long, lightly tanned legs strapped into dark red, open-toe stilettos supported a slim body with amazing curves and nice... you get the point. The woman moved closer, red dress shifting with the contours of her body as she walked.

"Teo, what are you still doing here? Our reservations in fifteen minutes."

Her gaze switched from Teo's gaze to mine, her expression immediately trying to shadow the scurrilous comments she most likely would have thrown at me had Teo not been there. "Honey, who's this?"

"This is Dean," the Italian replied. "He's new here. Dean, this is my girlfriend, Amber."

Amber put on a fake grin – or at least I could tell it was fake – and stepped slightly closer to Teo. "Well, we best be going."

Teo grabbed his coat and waved a last goodbye with a worried glance in his eye at me before following Amber out of the kitchen. I listened to the bell on the door ring before taking my own coat and slipping into it, then grasped onto the spare key Giovanni had given me in my pocket and locked up before leaving the restaurant myself.


	13. Have Heart

Ch. 12

I couldn't believe I had resorted to this.

Amazingly, I had finished my work early and had nothing to do. So, with my face hidden by my crossed arms at one of the booth tables, I pretended to be asleep, listening to the redundant shuffle of cards and comfortably chatty voices and sniffing longingly at the spice of whiskey in the air.

It would have been relaxing almost, except for the arguing whispers only I seemed to hear wafting from the kitchen.

Teo and Amber had been at each others throats all day. First of all, "the bitch" wouldn't leave. Not only had that gotten on Teo's nerves, but no one else at the restaurant liked her. Second, each time I tried to talk to Teo, she was right there, watching my every move, like a lioness protecting her territory.

A door slammed and I raised my head, just catching a glimpse of Amber as the light from the street lamp outside bounced off of her reddened curls when she passed under it at a rushed, angered pace. Teo stood at the entrance to the kitchen, dumbstruck and looking tired as hell.

The card game silenced and one of the guys, Alex – a waiter – set down his poker hand and turned his head to peer up Teo through wire-rimmed glasses and stray wisps of bleach blond hair.

"Man, I don't know why you won't listen to us," Alex said, hints of a British accent trying to creep through his voice. "She isn't right for you."

Teo glanced at him, but didn't reply. He knew Alex was right. We all did.

"Hey, uh, she won't be there tonight, will she?" Armando asked.

Teo shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"Will there BE a tonight?"

Teo nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about that."

David, a comedian and top chef at the restaurant, also set down his cards and turned to look at Teo. "Still at yo' place?"

Alex glared at him. "Of course it is, idiot. He's got the biggest place out of all of us."

"Dude, you should run a boarding house," Armando said, grinning widely. "Can I live with you?"

The company laughed and Teo shook his head. "Not a chance."

_Hey, I could use a place. Pick me! Pick me! _I thought to myself and silently smiled.

"Dean-o," David called and I looked up at him. "You wanna join us?"

"Uh, sure."

Armando stood and ran over to me, enveloping me in a bone-crushing hug. I looked to the others in fear. "Help?"

* * *

><p>An hour later I walked with Armando down a carpeted hallway on the third floor of an apartment building a couple blocks from the restaurant. As we walked, my insides decided to start frosting over. I'd never been invited to someone's house, much less a party.<p>

Come to think of it, I couldn't even remember having actual friends before Teo and the others.

Armando stopped in front of a door and knocked rapidly over the sounds of laughing and someone screaming. David opened it and a ball of ice plummeted through my stomach wall.

Teo sat at a bar stool while half-paying attention to the playing movie and sipping absently from a beer. And he was grinning. He turned his head as Armando and I walked in, eyes landing directly on me.

I couldn't help but smile back to avoid blushing.

"'Bout time you guys got here. We were startin' to worry," Alex said, greeting us with a beer each.

Something crashed in the movie and I turned to look at the screen. Pulp Fiction; one of my personal favorites.

Two years before, Dad had been away on a hunt, leaving a little more money than usual. I splurged and bought the flick at a nearby gas station that had a few straggling copies. For the next five days, my brother and I were entranced in Pulp Fiction, watching it at least 10 times while Dad was gone. For a while, Sam and I could forget our lives sucked and just be... well, brothers.

_Sammy._

I mentally shook the memory away and sat down near Teo. I didn't want any reminiscing tonight, and booze would take care of that for me.

* * *

><p>Three beers and four shots of Crown later I was one of most sober people at the apartment. Honestly, it wasn't surprising.<p>

Somehow, I managed to stumble into the kitchen and splash some water on my face, trying to keep away the dizziness I'd begun to feel. I turned off the sink and leaned against the kitchen counter, somehow interested in the way my knuckles turned white against the blue tile.

Footsteps clicked into the room and I slowly turned to see Teo leaning against the counter next to me. "You okay?" he asked, placing a steadying hand on my shoulder.

I nodded. "Yeah. Just trying not to pass out on my feet."

Teo smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"What is it?"

"Amber. She called."

I groaned and stood up as straightly as I could. "Man, she's not good for you. Why are you still with her?"

Teo shook his head. "Truthfully... I don't know."

"Truthfully, you're a dumb ass."

He began to argue, but stopped and looked away.

"Sure, she's hot, maybe addictive. But guess what? So's smoking."

"I guess it's because I've been with her so long. It's kind of hard to just end it."

I nodded, understanding. "Hey, at least you've got friends right? Even if they are drunks."

"Yeah, no kidding," Teo chuckled. "You need a ride home?"

I took my hand off of the counter and tried to get my balance, wavering slightly.

"I think I'll be fine."

We stood there in silence for a few minutes, listening to the intoxicated cackles of the guys out in the living room and the present movie blaring from the speakers.

"Thank you," Teo finally said.

"For what?"

"For coming here tonight, talking to me. I barely know you, and you've given me better advice than anyone has in the last year."

"Hey, it's no problem," I said with a small smile.

"No really, thank you."

I looked up into Teo's eyes and immediately froze. Heather gray and flecks of silver stared back at me with an intensity I'd never seen in someone before. The sounds from the living room dimmed and I felt like I was floating.

Before I could stop my self, I had leaned forward and pressed my lips to Teo's.

Almost immediately I pulled away, fearing the reaction I would get from him.

"I-I uh.." I began to stutter, my cheeks turning red.

Teo pressed a finger to my lips. "Shh."

And then were kissing.

I couldn't begin to describe it, but it was close to heaven. When we parted I was breathing hard and feeling dizzy, either from the lack of oxygen or the booze. I couldn't tell.

"That was..."

"Wow..."

I chuckled. "Yeah."

Suddenly, Teo looked worried. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

I shook my head and put a hand on his arm. "Of course not."

He leaned down and kissed me again, grasping my waist lightly. I leaned into the touch, slipping my arms up and around his neck. Teo's hands caressed little circles into my hips and I pressed closer to him, our bodies smoothing together.

He rested his forehead against mine. "You taste like whiskey."

I laughed quietly, closing my eyes and breathing in the scent of Teo's cologne, just enjoying the moment.

Something stirred in the living room close to the kitchen. We pulled apart quickly and turned away from each other as Alex stumbled into the room, glasses askew on his face.

"Hey, where's the bathroom?"

Teo pointed into the hallway.

"Thanks."

Soon, the echoed sound of retching could be heard from the bathroom, causing my own insides to coil and squirm.

"Dean, you alright?"

I sighed and took a deep breath. "This is gonna be a long night."


	14. Out Of Our Little Heads

_So, kill me if you must, I completely understand. Updates are long overdue, and after some personal dilemmas, I finally had to kick myself in the ass and get moving. My shields are up as I wait for the cyber-tacos of death, so get firing._

_P.s. - Anyone else see the new episode last Friday? Hope I'm not the only one who'd like to be an epic hacker too._

_P.s.s - I'm changing the title to this story. it just gets to be a mouthful after awhile..._

* * *

><p>Ch. 13<p>

I was confronted by Amber two weeks later.

I had just left the restaurant, waving to Alex as he too wandered into the Saturday, New York night. As stereotyped, the big apple truly was the city the never slept. Cars zipped by with loud music blaring from their speakers, lights flashed parties and streetlamps alike, and the sidewalk was still littered with people, though lower than its daytime population.

I heard her stilettos before her finely manicured hand landed on my shoulder. "You know Amber," I said, glancing back to double-check that it was her, " a hand on the shoulder from behind is the first sign of rape?"

She removed her grip, eyes smoldering. "I want you to lay off."

We stopped walking and I looked at her, confused. "Whaddya mean, lay off? As far as I'm concerned, it's best to stay away from people like you."

Amber's upper lip twitched, like a rabid dog ready to snarl and attack. "Stay away from Teo," she said. "He's mine, and we both know you don't stand a chance with him."

I couldn't help but laugh. Hers? Stupid b-... you know what? I won't even go there...

"Honey, I'm sure I have no idea what you're talkin' about."

She smirked. "I see the way you stare at him, every time he walks past. Believe me, I _know_ that look."

My poker face held strong, something I had mastered for years. "Look? Sure you weren't lookin' in the mirror? I see you look like that too, but not at Teo. No, it's at every other piece of ass that walks past you."

The fire in her eyes disappeared, only to be replaced by denial, then guilt, and finally a darkness that would make any other man shit their pants, I swear.

"I may not be exactly loyal, per say, but any day, Teo would choose me over you. And you know why?"

I raised a questioning eye brow at her. "Shoot."

"Have _you _looked in the mirror lately. You look like you've been ran over a few times with a semi-truck. You're tired, can barely do your job."

My anger grew. "At least I'm no harlot," I hissed; a few people stared as they walked past.

Amber's red painted lips parted into a devious, white grin. Obviously, her vocabulary was a little bigger than I'd thought.

"If anything Dean," she said in a sickly sweet voice, nails lightly touching the pale skin of my cheek in a mock sign of faux comfort. "Teo's just using you as a fuck-buddy. An outlet. Do you know how long it's been since the guy's gotten off? You poor thing, so blind..."

I moved back a step, her hand slipping from my jaw.

"Look who's the whore now, Dean."

Amber turned back the way she had come, making sure to sway her hips just a little more. "See ya later."

Ignoring her snide farewell, I picked my pace back up and briskly made my way to Teo's apartment.

It was a bad idea, but I wanted the truth.

* * *

><p>I stood at Teo's apartment door and knocked. No answer. I rapped my knuckles against the hard wood again, calling out the Italian's name. "Teo! You home?" I leaned in close to the door and listened.<p>

A muffled, "Come in!" answered me, and I opened the door.

"Where are you?"

"Kitchen!"

I made my way through the small apartment towards said destination, slipping off my coat along the way to hang it on a hook. My boot hit the linoleum of the kitchen floor... and I slipped.

Teo turned around, eyes landing on me as he stood up from wiping down the floor. "Oops... missed a spot."

I glared up at him. "A little help here?"

Teo held out his hand and I grabbed it, using the extra leverage to pull myself to my feet. I was standing for a second, and the next, I was falling again, forward this time. Jay's own shoe had gotten caught in the same puddle, causing him to slip as well and pull me down with him.

I landed on top of him, my hands on his chest, our lips a mere inch apart. For a moment I couldn't move, completely frozen with the possibility on my mind that things could progress. We stayed like that, neither moving, barely breathing. Finally, Teo cleared his throat and I moved back a little.

"Maybe we should, uh, clean up the rest of the floor," I whispered.

Teo nodded. "Yeah, we should."

A few minutes later, the linoleum was once again dry. Teo took the wet towels down to the laundry room in the basement of the apartment complex, leaving me to my own musings. I walked around for a bit, looking from pictures that adorned the walls to books that sat tucked away in dusty shelves. After a while I sat down on the couch and flipped on the television. I turned the volume down a bit and watched as some action flick flashed across the screen.

Several minutes passed before the front door creaked open and Teo walked back in. By that time I was half asleep, so I didn't bother to look over. Footsteps echoed into the kitchen, followed by something being set down on the table. Teo walked back in and sat down next to me on the couch. Hesitantly, he slipped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. I gladly leaned into the touch and let my head rest on his shoulder.

Obviously, Teo hadn't been expecting that, tensing up at my resignation to fatigue. I chuckled a bit and snuggled into his embrace. Teo eased up and settled his head against mine

I fell asleep like that, content, and my mind on matters happier than the day's occurences.

* * *

><p><em>Another note; if not tomorrow morning, coming back down will be updated tomorrow afternoon. i think you'll thoroughly enjoy it too.<em>


	15. We Really Have To Go

Grr, more filler than I wanted, but it was necessary. Hope you all enjoy! The next chapter will be updated as soon as possible :D

P.s. - A while ago, I'm not sure if I said so, but I made it so that anonymous reviews would be accepted. I realize that some readers may not have accounts and I wanted to make the option available. So... yeah. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Ch. 14<p>

I woke up warm, comfortable, on a pillow... that was breathing. I opened my eyes to find I was still on the couch, face pressed into Teo's chest. I shifted my gaze to look up at him, finding it adorable how his face was squashed into the couch. I smiled and looked at the small clock on the couch side table and saw the time.

Needless to say, I stopped smiling.

"Teo," I whispered, tapping his arm. He shifted a bit.

"Teo." Still, not much response.

"_Teo!_"

His eyes shot open and he jolted up, almost knocking me off the couch. "What? What'd I miss?"

I glared at him. "If we don't leave now, we'll be late."

He turned around to look at the clock and blanched. "Shit..."

"Yeah, shit is right."

We looked at each other, then both jumped up and bolted for the bathroom. I thanked my lucky stars as I made it there first, slammed the door in his face, and flicked the lock. I turned on the sink, trying to make myself look halfway decent as I listened to Teo pound on the door, telling me to hurry the hell up. I laughed and told him to be patient. Half a minute later I was finished cleaning up and I barely moved out of the way before Teo slammed the door in my face.

By 10:28, we were out the door and booking it down the street. The second Teo's watch struck 10:30, we were in the door. Panting and gasping, we gave the restaurant a look. I swear, for a moment, every eye was on us. That didn't stay for long, but it was still awkward.

Teo left to go back in the kitchen to prepare, while I took my time, stopping at the counter to greet Alex. He looked up from the cash register with a smug grin on his face. "Have a little fun last night?"

I gave him the ,'I have no idea what you're talking about,' look. He raised his eyebrows. "Now Dean, don't think I didn't notice who you came in with there."

I tried not to blush, but Alex saw it. "Just tell me this dude."

I nodded.

"Does Amber know?"

I sighed and involuntarily glanced around to see if anyone was listening. "To be honest, I think she has her suspicions, but I don't know if she's sure. I don't want her to know."

Alex nodded. "You're good with me, man. She's a bitch, and I just wish Teo had the balls to tell her off." He clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Have you actually done _it _yet?"

I shook my head and blushed even harder. "No, no we haven't"

"Well, you should. It looks like you both need it."

I tried to come back with a response, but before I could speak, Alex laughed and walked past me into the kitchen. Jerk.

* * *

><p>After the workday, which as usual left me thoroughly exhausted, I expected to go 'home' to a somewhat comfy motel bed and sleep as long as possible. But that didn't exactly go to plan.<p>

I was two steps from the door when Giovanni cleared his throat in the middle of the dining area. I turned around to see him standing on a chair. "Tomorrow, we have our monthly 'company' camping trip and I would like to see every one of you there." I could have sworn he looked directly at me. "Food and lodging as usual will be provided, and remember to bring your fishing and hunting gear."

I walked over to Alex who was sitting at a table with Armando. "What is he talking about?"

"Each month we go on a little camping trip for a few days, usually just upstate. We close up the restaurant and get out of the city for once," he told me. "You wanna come?"

I thought for a moment. "Sure, I guess. I mean, what else would I do?"

Alex nodded. "Cool. Better be prepared to get up early and be on your toes. Giovanni likes the 'group activities'."

"Yeah," Armando agreed. "They're physically challenging, of course, but mostly a pain in the ass."

I chuckled. "Sounds like fun. I'll be there."

"Great."

There was something in his voice though, I couldn't tell what, that made me wonder if there was more to what he was saying. I brushed it off and headed for the door, eager to get back to the motel and sleep.


	16. Light Up

Yes, I know, it should be longer, and I apologize, but the next one will be so much better, I promise.

P.s. - i made a change to the last chapter. dean was talking to alex, not david. alex is from england with the awesome accent and glasses and david is some other dude. sorry for any confusion.

* * *

><p>Ch. 15<p>

Okay, so my plan to sleep some more on the way to the campsite didn't exactly go as planned.

Because I didn't have my own car, I got to travel with Alex in his Chevy truck. Overall it wasn't too bad of a car, but the whole way, the Brit wouldn't shut up. Then, once we got off the highway, we were met with unsteady roads that proved the truck needed new shocks. The bumping of the truck made the radio harder to hear. Alex moved to turn up the volume of the country station and I slapped his hand away. If it was any louder, I would have thrown myself out the window and walked the rest of the way. I told him that too.

We reached the campsite, a wooded park that looked eerily enough like the last vamp hunt I'd gone on with Dad and Sam. As Alex parked the truck I thanked my lucky stars we had stopped and quickly got out, peering around to find the 70's Volkswagen van that belonged to the Colucci family. None of the family was in sight, save for Teo who leaned against the van, laughing to himself.

"What's so damn funny?" I called out.

"You!" he replied and started walking over. "I suppose you didn't really care for Alex's truck, hmm?"

It was only then that I noticed my hands were shaking. "Yeah, not so much..."

Teo chuckled and clapped a hand on my shoulder, still chuckling. Alex hopped out of the deathtrap and grabbed both our duffel bags from the bed. He tossed mine to me and started walking towards an area adjacent to where tents and RV's were set up.

"Where's he goin'?" I asked Teo as we walked to catch up with him.

"Did he tell you about the 'physical activities' my dad does while we're here?"

I nodded.

"That's it."

We walked through a trail and ended up in a clearing surrounded by a mix of oaks and pines. One oak, with branches starting from about my shoulder, looked like it had scuff marks on it, some branches close to breaking. Around the base of the tree were the staff of the restaurant, including Giovanni himself. His eyes were locked on a lone figure climbing the tree, and not very well at that. Apparently, the guy didn't have great footing, because the next moment passed and the guy fell. He'd have made an excellent pancake, but lucky for him, he had one of those rock climbing harnesses which was hooked at about three-fourths up the tree.

"What's the point of this exactly?"

Alex walked over to us and watched the guy slowly come down. "Giovanni sees it as some sort of sick enjoyment. If you can get up to where the rope ends, kudos to you. If not, everybody laughs. That guy, he didn't do too bad. You? I dunno."

I gave him a look. "What're you talkin' about? I'm awesome. I could do it without the harness."

That gave me an idea.

"You know what? I'll do you one better," I told him, making sure I was looking him in the eye. "I'll climb the tree, without the harness, and go even higher. I'll bet you $200."

I wanted to take a picture of the look on Alex's face. I turned to Teo and his was... surprisingly similar.

"So whaddya say?"

Alex eyed me carefully, probably trying to guess if I was bluffing or not. "You're on dude. Just don't break your neck. I don't do funeral costs."

I chuckled and dropped my duffel, moving to shake out of my over shirt so it wouldn't get caught on any bark.

"Dean do you think this is actually a good idea?" Teo gave me one of his looks that meant he was extremely worried, a face I had come to know well.

"I'll be fine. Quit your mother hennin."

I started walking towards the tree, gaining odd glances from everyone. Alex started telling everyone what was going to happen and the small crowd immediately turned to whispers. Then, people started shouting out bets. Some were numbers I could really use in my pocket.

I got to the base of the tree and looked up. Damn, was it tall. Maybe I really was in over my head. Whether I was or not, I had a job to do; not look like an idiot... or die for that matter.

As I grabbed onto the first branch, I could feel the eyes of everyone on me, burning into my back. Thankfully, I 'd put on some muscle and climbing up was fairly easy. Before I knew it I was reaching the spot where the harness was hooked. And I didn't stop. Eventually the branches got lighter and wouldn't be able to support my weight. So I settled against the trunk and looked down.

The people, they looked like ants. I couldn't make out a single face apart from the others. I knew, though, that Giovanni's eyes had never left me. When I'd started off the ground, I gotten a look at his expression, something between fatherly and curious, an expression that I'd seen my dad give Sam and I when he trained us, trying to see where our strengths lay.

I thought about it for a moment, and then it hit me. That was exactly what Giovanni was trying to do; figuring out my strongest points, physical strength obviously being on top.

But what for was the question.


	17. Don't know what to call this one

Alright, it's shorter than I had planned, and I wanted to get more than one chapter up tonight, but i was forced to be social and watch the closing ceremony for the olympics. Granted, it was awesome, but it shortened my writing time.

So, here ya go, next chapter... enjoy.

P.s - circles and run will also be updated this week

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><p>Ch. 16<p>

Never had I been more proud about making a bet, especially one that would pay for possibly the first few months of rent at an apartment I so desperately needed. Alex looked like someone kicked his puppy as I climbed down the tree. I mean, it wasn't my fault he'd made the bet in the first place. It wasn't my fault five other people had also bet large amounts of money on whether I'd fall and break my neck or not.

All I could do was laugh quietly to myself at Alex as Armando walked over to us, a fluffy dog at his side.

"Hey who's your friend?" I asked him.

He smiled down at the dog who in turn looked back up at him with a goofy grin. "This is Hailey," he said. "She's an Italian Spinone, a bird hunting dog. Needless to say she's part of the family."

Hailey came over to sniff at my hand and I found myself scratching her behind the ears, something she seemed to enjoy very much. "Well, you're friendly, aren't you?"

I could have sworn she winked at me.

I turned to Alex who still had the same look on his face.

"Dude, how the HELL did you that?" he asked me.

"I'd like to know the same,"Giovanni asked walking over.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I used to climb trees as a kid, so I guess it just comes naturally."

Alex shook his head. "But you went that freaking high," he pointed at the top of the tree, "at a steady pace, and you came back down even faster. Dude..."

Again, I shrugged my shoulders and gave them that "I don't know face" I'd perfected over the last few weeks.

"Dean, have you ever gone hunting?" Giovanni asked and I froze.

Hunting? "You mean like deer and stuff?"

The older man nodded. "Yes, exactly."

I nodded. "A few times. I can handle a rifle pretty well."

"That's good. It'd be nice to have a fresh face on a hunting trip. The guys like to get away from all the girls out here so we go into the woods to hunt."

I saw Eliana pass by and glare at her husband.

"Sounds like fun. I'll be there."

I watched him walk away and turned back to Alex and Armando. "Do you guys go too?"

Armando tried to answer, but Hailey, evidently, had better plans and darted off into the trees after a stray squirrel. Alex chuckled. "Yeah, we do. So does Teo."

I have no idea why that made my cheeks begin to burn. "Oh, cool."

He laughed and patted me on the back. "Just be glad Amber's not here. In fact, this might be a good chance to 'bond' with him a little bit, if you know what I mean."

I bunched him in the shoulder and he stopped smirking. "Ow."

I glared at him and then looked for Teo through the crowd. He was talking with Giovanni, and he didn't look to happy. Well... neither of them did. I had been thinking about going over to talk with the young Italian, but decided against it.

"What do you think they're arguing about?" I asked Alex.

The Brit shook his head and looked at me. "I have no idea. But some advice – they never argue, so I'd recommend not butting in."

"No problem."

Normally, it wouldn't have bothered me. Every kid fights with their parents. The only problem is, this father and son kept looking over in our direction... at me. The last thing I wanted to be was the cause of an altercation between two people who normally got along. All I could do was wonder why I was the subject of their "talk" and try not to look them in the eye.

"Dude, are they talking about us?" Alex asked. "I swear I haven't done anything."

I shook my head. "No, they're talking about me."

He frowned at me. "Okay then, what the hell did _you _do?"

"I don't know, man"

One thing stuck in my mind though as we picked up our stuff to follow people to the campsite. If they were arguing about me, right after my stunt and Giovanni's question for me, did that mean they had suspicions about who I was? Or worse...

Did they already know?

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><p>Rest in Peace, Beloved Friend and Sweetheart to All<p>

Hailey; 7/9/02 - 8/9/12


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